These Teens Developed a Seed That Can Cleanse Polluted Water

Two teenage Brazilian students, 15 and 18 years old, won the Latin America Google Science fair that awards young scientists for innovative projects in science and technology with a magic seed that cleans polluted water.

João Gabriel and Letícia Pereira’s project on supplying clean water for regions in need proved that seeds of moringa oleífera can be used to filter contaminated water, remove impurities, and make water drinkable again. The idea is to use the plant as an easy access alternative to remove pollution instead of using chemicals.

According to the students, the idea came to them after an incident left a nearby city without clean water.

“We wanted to do something to help the ones in need after the disaster in Mariana, where a broken dam sent tons of mining residues to the rivers, and help them to filter [the] water” says Leticia, a recent high school grad from Fortaleza, Ceará in northeastern Brazil.